Musical device



W- E. BENNER May 9, 1967 MUSICAL DEVICE Filed Feb. 19, 1965 3,318,181 MUSICAL DEVICE William E. Benner, 1219 Avant Drive, St. Louis County, Mo. 63137 Filed Feb. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 434,045 8 Claims. (Cl. 84-473) The present invention relates generally to musical instruments and the like and more particularly to a relatively simple, easy to operate and inexpensive instrument capable of producing a relatively broad range of tones having pleasing musical qualities. The subject device can I be used in place of'more expensive bass instruments and will enable persons with little or no musical training to participate with others in the production of music.

Many musical instruments have been constructed and usedin thepast and some of these have been used as bass instruments. For the most part, the known instruments are relatively diflicult to operate requiring considerable skill and training and are relatively expensive. These and other disadvantages and shortcomings of the known devices has limited their usefulness and appeal.

The present instrument overcomes these and other disadvantages and shortcomings by teaching the construction and .operation of a relatively simple, inexpensive 1nstrument which can be operated with great enjoyment even by persons with little or no musical talent or training.

The subject instrument has a relatively wide tone range capability and can be constructed having an intriguing range of possible uses and can be constructed so inexpensively thatit can be used both as a high quality musical instrument and also as a toy. The instrument can also be used by persons of all ages and it can also be used .as a solo instrument if desired.

It is a principal object of the present instrument to provide a relatively inexpensive yet versatile instrument having excellent tonal qualities.

Another object is to provide a musical instrument which can be operated by persons of all ages regardless of musical ability and training.

Another object is to provide a musical instrument which can be used as a solo instrument and also to accompany various'types of musical compositions including recordings and live performances such as hootenanmes.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive bass instrument having relatively wide and pleasing tone characteristics.

Another object is to provide a musical instrument having an unusual and interesting appearance which lends itself to many forms of decoration.

Another object is to provide means by which many more people can participate in the production of musical compositions.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after considering the following detailed specification covering a preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of the subject invention; and

United States Patent C) FIG, 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing a modified form of the subject device.

Referring more particularly to the drawing by reference numbers, the number 1 refers to a musical instrument constructed according to the present invention. The instrument 1 includes a drum portion 2 which may be a cardboard or fiberboard drum having one or both ends 3 of the same or similar material. Other materials can also be used in the construction of the drum 2 but it has been found that cardboard and fiberboard drums in commercially available sizes and shapes are relatively inexpensive and yet produce very good tone qualities, even superior to many metal and wood constructions. It is contemplated, however, to use a metal, wood, plastic or other types of drums even though this has not been found to be necessary. A rod or post 4 of wood or other suitable material is attached to the side of the drum by suitable threaded fasteners, glue or other means and extends from adjacent to the bottom of the drum to a position extending substantially above the top wall 3. The top of the post 4 is preferably about shoulder height for an average person although the size and height of the instrument can be varied considerably. The length of the post 4 is therefore not critical.

An operator member 5 is pivotally connected to the upright post 4 near its top by suitable means such as shaft or bolt 6. End 7 of the operator member 5 extends out over the top Wall 3 of the drum 2 and the other end 8 extends in the opposite direction. A cord 9 has one of its ends attached to the portion 7 of the operator member 5 and its opposite end is connected to an eye bolt or similar device 10 which extends through a hole in the center of the top drum wall 3. The threaded portion of the eye bolt is inside of the drum and carries a washer or plate 11 which engages the surface of the wall 3 to prevent the eye bolt 10 from pulling out. One or more nuts or other fasteners may be mounted on the eye bolt to hold it in place. A block may also be glued or otherwise attached to the inner surface of the Wall 3 for added support if desired. The cord 9 can 'be tied to the mem bers 5 and 10 as shown.

' Several different kinds of cords have been tested for use on the subject instrument and it has been discovered that the cord material has considerable effect on the quality of tone as well as on the tone range that can be produced. It has been found that a hollow as well as a solid plastic cord produces the best overall tone quality and range although metal and cloth cords or ropes will also work. A plastic cord is also easy on the operators hand. Note also that it is preferable to attach the upper end of the cord so that a single strand extends over the and 1-2 of the member 7 and makes minimum contact therewith. This is done to minimize any damping effect which might otherwise be produced.

The subject instrument is operated by resting one hand on the rear position 8 of the operator member 5, and pressing downwardly thereon with a controllable force while at the same time stroking or strumming the cord 9 with the other hand. The force applied on the operator member 5, the location of the strumming action, and the strumming force will all effect the quality and frequency of the tones produced.

An actual instrument constructed according to the present invention and having a drum about two feet high with a diameter of about 14 inches produces an extremely broad tone range with a pleasing bass tone quality. Such an instrument has been used with great success and pleasure in accompanying recorded as well as live musical performances and as a solo instrument. It is to be noted, however, that the dimensions are not critical and that many different sizes and shapes can be 3 used. The size and shape, however, will have an effect on the tones that are obtainable.

FIG. 2 shows a modified form of the subject instrument in which the shapes of the members have been changed to provide a more pleasing appearance and more rigid construction. For example, the modified post 4a has been thickened above the drum in order to minimize bending thereof, and the operator member 5a has been modified to give it a more attractive appearance. In the modification construction a block or plate 13 is attached to the inner surface of the upper wall 3a and a similar plate 14 is attached to the lower wall of the drum. In this construction an optional tone rod 15 is connected between the plates 13 and 14 to further improve the tone quality of the instrument. It is also contemplated to connect the tone rod at an angle relative to the axis of the drum or even across the drum on a diameter thereof between opposite sides of the drum. The operation of the modified instrument is similar to the operation of the instrument shown in FIG. 1 but may in some cases have certain advantages in tone quality and appearance.

In all forms of the subject invention the drum portion as well as the other portions of the instrument lend themselves to many different forms of decoration and appear ance making the instrument useful as a musical instrument and also as a conversation piece. It has also been discovered that the subject instrument creates considerable interest among people of all ages and of diverse musical abilities because of the ease with which it can be operated and because of its unusual appearance.

Thus there has been shown and described a novel musical instrument which fulfills all of the objects and advantages sought therefor. Many changes, modifications, alterations and other uses and purposes of the subject instrument will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawing. All such changes, modifications, and variations which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is: r

1. A musical instrument comprising a drum portion having a closed side wall and at least one end wall, an upright member attached tothe side wall of the drum portion and extending beyond one end of the drum, an operator member pivotally attached to the upright member adjacent to its free end, said operator member having a first portion which extends over the drum and another portion which extends outwardly therefrom to form a handle, and a cord of flexible material connected at one end to the operator member at a position thereon that is over the drum and at the other end of a central location on the end wall of the drum portion.

2. The musical instrument defined in claim 1 including eyelet means for attaching the flexible cord to the center of the end wall.

her at 3. The musical instrument defined'in claim 1 wherein the operator member has an edge thereon which engages the cord at the place where the cord begins its reach to the drum portion to minimize any damping of cord vibrations due to the operator member.

4. The musical instrument defined in claim 1 wherein a tone rod extends across the interior of the drum portion.

5. A musical instrument comprising a drum portion having an endless side wall and an end surface, a cord, means for attaching one end of the cord to the end surface of the drum at a central location, an upright member attached to the side wall of the drum and extending therefrom beyond the end surface thereof, an operator member pivotally attached to the upright, said operator portion having a handle portion on one end and a portion on the opposite end which extends over the end surface of the drum, said cord having its upper end connected to said operator member, the tension on said cord being adjustable to vary the tone quality when the cord is strummed or plucked by applying downward pressure on the handle portion.

6. The musical instrument defined in claim 5 said cord is formed of plastic material.

7. The musical instrument defined in claim 5 wherein a tone rod extends across the interior of the drum.

8. A bass musical instrument comprising a hollow container defined by a closed side wall and an end wall, an upright member attached to the container side wall and extending therefrom beyond the container end wall, and operator member pivotally attached to the upright mema location spaced from the end wall, said oprator member having a first portion which extends over the container and a handle portion which extends over the opposite direction from the upright, and a cord of flexible material connected between the first portion of the operator member and the end wall at a central location thereon so that force applied to the handle portion puts tension on the cord.

wherein References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 363,564- 5/1887 .Van Dusen 84-173 X 1,678,834 8/1928 Lentz 84173 X 2,033,826 3/1931 Haium 84-173.l 2,168,736 8/1939 Jones 84-l73.1 2,529,584 11/1950 Alexander 84-173.1 2,861,494 11/1958 Guthrie 84173.l

OTHER REFERENCES Brownie-Bass, leaflet by Lionel Kilberg, July 14, 1955, 2 pages.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

LEO SMILOW, Examiner.

C, M, QVERBEY, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A DRUM PORTION HAVING A CLOSED SIDE WALL AND AT LEAST ONE END WALL, AN UPRIGHT MEMBER ATTACHED TO THE SIDE WALL OF THE DRUM PORTION AND EXTENDING BEYOND ONE END OF THE DRUM, AN OPERATOR MEMBER PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE UPRIGHT MEMBER ADJACENT TO ITS FREE END, SAID OPERATOR MEMBER HAVING A FIRST PORTION WHICH EXTENDS OVER THE DRUM AND ANOTHER PORTION WHICH EXTENDS OUTWARDLY THEREFROM TO FORM A HANDLE, AND A CORD OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THE OPERATOR MEMBER AT A POSITION THEREON THAT IS OVER THE DRUM AND AT THE OTHER END OF A CENTRAL LOCATION ON THE END WALL OF THE DRUM PORTION. 